Roller-support for edgewise-movable doors.



No. 896,562. PATENTED AUG. 18, 1908. T. S. MILES & G. E. POIRIER. ROLLER SUPPORT FOR EDGEWISE MOVABLE DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1906.

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THEODORE S. MILES AND CHARLES E. POIRIER, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

ROLLER-SUPPORT FOR EDGEWISE-MOVABLE DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 18, 1908.

Application filed September 10, 1906. Serial N 0. 334,071.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THEODORE S. Mum, and CHARLES E. POIRIER, citizens of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roller-Supports for Edgewise- Movable Doors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in roller supports for. edgewise movable doors of the class more particularly for use in connection with freight or baggage cars.

The objects of the invention are,1st: to provide roller supports for these doors, which will be economical in construction, and will be operative for vertically sustaining the door to reliably withstand side strains or concussions. 2nd: to employ a construction whereby the door may have endwise movements with the least amount of friction. 3d: to provide a roller trackway so constructed and supported that it will not become obstructed, to interfere with the movements of the balls.

With these objects in view, the invention presents a novel construction and arrangement of parts, as described herein, pointed out by the claims, and as illustrated in the drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is a broken awayview, showing the side of a car with aroller supported door, embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a broken view for clearly showing the several parts of the invention, being a vertical sectional view on line a I) of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view, showing a portion of the guideway, the stoprail being in section. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a part of the trackway, the wall of the car being in section.

Referring now to the drawing for a more particular description, numeral 1 indicates a car, the side wall and door thereof being shown, respectively, at 2 and 3. We provide a supporting trackway 4 by use of plate or rail 5, preferably of wood, with a flat metal strap or shoe 6 secured thereon. This track way is secured. horizontally, lengthwise of the car, somewhat lower than floor 7, by means of bolts 8, which pass through plate 5, at intervals, and preferably pass through the wall of the car, traversing sleeves 9 intermediate the trackway and car wall, the bolts, preferably, being secured by nuts 10, upon the inner side of the wall.

The sleeves are of equal length, and by the construction described, the trackway is strongly supported by and adjacent to the wall of the car, openings 1 1, of uniform width being thus provided between the sleeves, intermediate the trackway and car; and sand, snow or like obstructions may pass the openings and will notaccumulate, to obstruct the trackway.

Above doorway 12 and below roof 13-0f the car, is provided the hood 14, having a length substantially equal to that of the trackway, and of a width sufficient to overhang the door. We provide the pair of parallel guiderails 15 they are held in vertical planes and parallel with the wall of the car by means of the spacing or alining-strips 16, and their lower edges extend below these strips. Strips 16 are disposed parallel and upon the same horizontal plane, by a series of bolts 17 which pass, at intervals, through these strips and rails 15, and, preferably, are secured by nuts 18' upon the inner side of the car wall.

We employ the stop plate 19, disposed vertically and outwardly of strips 16; it extends downward a limited distance below the upper edge of and upon the outer side of the door, and is securely held' in this position by the bolts 17 passing therethrough. It prevents an outward or lateral movement of the door which might be occasioned from within the car, and protects the bearings of the balls employed in the'up'per edge of the door, presently to be described. Strips 16 are preferably constructed of wood, and are protected from shrinking by the hood. Plate 19 is also a part of the hood, the upper edge of this plate connecting with inclined housing plate 20, which extends outwardly and downwardly from the wall of the car, to cover the space adjacent the top of the alining-strips.

We provide balls 21 seated in a longitudinal recess or groove 22, formed in the lower edge of the door. They project outwardly beyond the edge of the door to contact with strip 6 of the trackway, and since the metal strip is'iiat, obstructing sand will not accumulate thereon, as it would if a concave surface was employed. The door has its bearings upon the balls, the latter being supported upon the trackway, and the door may be moved with a slight degree of force.

We provide plate 23, which operates as a guide or stop. This is secured longitudinally upon the side of the door and is extended below its lower side to pass between the trackway and wall of the car for engagement they project outwardly from the upper edge of the door to be disposed between rails 15,

and when the door is moved, the balls may have a rolling movement in contact with these rails.

As thus described, the trackway is dis posed upon the vertical plane of the guiderails, the door being sustained therebetween, adjacent the car wall a slight degree of force, only, is required for moving the door in a forward .or rearward direction, since its points of contact are few, and, as will be seen, at the time of a movement of the door, rails 15 of the guideway cooperate with guide or plate 23 for sustaining the door in a vertical position.

Having fully described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. In roller supports for edgewise movable doors, the combination with a supporting wall having a door opening therein, a guideway comprising a pair of parallel guide-ways supported therefrom, a track-way secured to said wall below the door opening in the ver tical plane of the guide-way; of a door provided with grooves in its upper and lower edges, ball bearings seated in said grooves and projecting outwardly thereof, said lower balls bearing on said track-way, the balls in the upper edge of the door contacting with and movable between said parallel guideways.

2. In roller supports for edgewise movable doors, the combination with a supporting wall having a door opening therein, a guideway comprising a pair of parallel guide-ways supported therefrom, a track-way secured to said. wall below the door opening in the vertical plane of the guide-way; of a door provided with a guide plate secured upon and extended below one of its sides and provided with grooves in its upper and lower edges, ball bearings seated in said grooves and projecting outwardly thereof, said lower balls bearing on said track-way, the balls in the upper edge of the door contacting with and movable between the parallel guide-ways, said guide-plate adapted to bear upon the inner side of said track-way.

3. In roller supports for edgew'ise movable doors, the combination with a supporting wall having a door opening therein, a guideway comprising a stop-rail and a pair of parallel guide-ways supported therefrom, a trackway secured to said wall below the door opening in the vertical plane of the parallel guideways; of a door provided with grooves in its upper and lower edges, ball bearings seated in said grooves and projecting outwardly thereof, said lower balls bearing on said trackway, the balls in the upper edge of the door adapted to make contact with and have movements between the parallel guide-ways, said stop-raildisposed outwardly of and eX- tended below the plane of the upper edgeof said door.

In testimony whereof we have afiiXed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE S. MILES. CHARLES E. POIRIER.

Witnesses:

HIRAM A. STURGES, JOHN HOLD N. 

